Restoration work on the Wilde Lake Dam Outfall Channel Repair Project, adjacent to Wilde Lake, wrapped up in January 2025. Now that the snow has melted, community members walking the trail are able to see the full scale of the work.
Jason Heath, Columbia Association (CA) Capital Improvements Manager, oversees capital projects in open space, pathways, bridges and play areas, as well as some of the watershed projects.
Heath said the Wilde Lake stream repair was needed to protect the channel, as the existing metal baskets were failing.
“When it was originally built, they used what’s called a gabion basket, essentially like a wire mesh, almost like a chain link fence that holds rock together, smaller rock inside the basket,” he said. The baskets lined the outfall channel from the dam to Little Patuxent Parkway.
“Over the years, the coating deteriorated and the wire started rusting away, and all the rocks fell into the channel,” said Heath. “As we had big storms, the rocks got moved around quite a bit.”
Heath said protecting the channel refers to protection from both erosion and storm management, explaining “it’’s protecting the flow of the water when it comes over top of the dam, mainly during storm events.”
The restoration involved large stone blocks being put in along the channel, in addition to what appears to be piles of smaller rocks. What difference will the rocks make? Heath said it comes down to longevity.
“There’s no metal there now to hold small rock in place. Now it’s just very large stones stacked on top of each other,” he said. “It should last indefinitely.”
The Wilde Lake stream restoration also involves a landscape buffer, that signs at the site say will be populated with “native meadow species.”
Heath said that “you’re typically not supposed to have what is called ‘woody growth’ within 15 to 25 feet of any structures” that are related to dams or stormwater management, due to the risk of tree roots “compromising the integrity of the infrastructure.”
Instead, the sustainability and landscaping crews decided on the meadow mix to bring pollinators and local plants back post-construction.
Community members have expressed concerns similar stream restoration projects across Howard County, particularly when it comes to how the work might affect local plants and wildlife. This concern was also applicable for this project, connected to Wilde Lake, an area known for a variety of bird and plant species.
There was “no known impact with the wildlife” during the stream restoration at Wilde Lake, Heath said.
Construction first began on Nov. 18, 2024. The in-channel work was completed at the end of January 2025. Work continued around several periods of snow and cold temperatures throughout the winter season. HTI Contractors completed the construction of this project.
This spring, a landscape crew will return to dress up the area and ensure the grass grows and the sustainability team will do re-planting. For now, the area is stabilized and grass seed has been spread with straw laid on top. The straw will decompose as the grass starts to grow.
While Heath was still waiting on final invoicing, he said the construction cost was around $200,000 and the cost for design and permitting was around $50,000. The project was reviewed and approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
This article was written by freelance reporter Sarah Sabatke
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